Evaluating the Attitudes of Law Enforcement Towards DWI Court Efficiency: An Analysis of Survey Data

Abstract

Driving while intoxicated (DWI) courts have recently gained traction as a possible solution to the management and treatment of alcohol-involved offenders. As the number of DWI courts in operation in the U.S. increases, so has the research dedicated to studying these courts. Unfortunately, few studies aside from outcome/recidivism research have been conducted. Thus, the current study hopes to add to the small body of literature by evaluating the perceptions law enforcement have of DWI court efficiency and the factors that impact their perspectives. Survey data from an evaluation of a DWI court in Las Cruces, New Mexico are used for the study, and chi-square tests and t-tests are utilized in the analysis. Results indicated respondent characteristics including age, career length, and traffic duty were significantly related to the respondents’ perceptions of DWI court efficiency. Thirty-two Likert-scale items were also analyzed and five items were found to be significant: unclear rules, reforms weaken cop power, DWI cause more work, decreased respect by civilians, and .08 appropriate. Implications for future research are discussed with respect to the results.